Believe in God for Supernatural Miracles!

On 1 August 2015 at City Harvest Church 5 p.m. service, Pastor Kong Hee mentioned the five reasons on why Christianity grew as cited by Mr Edward Gibbon, a distinguished secular historian and author of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire":

1. Uncompromising Zeal

2. Future Rewards

3. Supernatural Miracles

4. Moral Purity

5. Church Unity

Later that evening, while at home, I continued with my re-reading of "Unleashing Your God-given Dreams" by Steve Munsey. The following story in Chapter 3 of the aforesaid book as recounted to Pastor Munsey by a Russian believer stirred me up to believe in miracles of the God-kind and I thought that my sharing it here would spur you to believe God for miracles in your life.

To digress, earlier at the service I felt some throat irritation and had to cough intermittently while singing worship songs. Then, when Pastor Kong led us in prayer, I prayed in tongues believing God for healing. Shortly after the prayers when we sang on, I realised that the throat irritation was gone. I was encouraged there and then to keep on believing God for miracles by faith in His Word (in what He has already said and considered as done before mortal men, constrained by the dimension of time, could catch-on.) All Glory be to God alone! 

Back to the story when the KGB was so strong and communism was at its worst in Russia such that no one could preach the gospel:

"We were preaching the gospel one night, and the KGB came into our underground church in Russia. They arrested all of us, taking the leaders -- about four of us preachers -- in a helicopter, flying North. We arrived at the Arctic Circle area of our country, and they flew low, about one hundred feet off the ground. They shoved us, one at a time, miles apart, out the door of the helicopter to let us freeze to death. We never saw each other again.

My legs were broken when they hit the icy snow. I was freezing. This happened because of the Gospel. I awakened the next morning with the sun on my face. There was a polar bear, normally a man-eating animal, literally covering me like a blanket. When the sun got high enough that it could warm me, the polar bear looked right at me and walked away.

It came back that afternoon with a lunch sack in its mouth; the bear dropped it where I could reach it to get the food from the sack. Then it lay next to me to keep me warm through the night. This went on for three days and nights. On the fourth morning, the bear grabbed the back of my shirt and began to drag me through the snow into the woods. Then the polar bear ran off. I never saw it again.

I was discovered in the woods by some people who were only voices to me. I didn't know it, but they were Christians. They were a little afraid of me at first; they just didn't know who I was. They didn't believe my story about a polar bear keeping me warm. I told them, "He fed me for three days by bringing me a lunch sack." One of the men in the group said, "So that's where my lunch went!" He asked me to describe what was in the lunch sacks. I told him the contents that I ate on each day I was fed by the bear. It was what had been in the man's lunch sacks!'' They believe that I was a Christian after that testimony!"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Just as God provided food for Elijah supernaturally through ravens and for the Russian preacher through a polar bear, He will continue to work His miracles for us. Let's raise our hope in Christ -- our Hope of glory! 

Welcoming the Holy Spirit

As a follower of Jesus Christ you may well be accustomed to welcoming the Holy Spirit into your life afresh at the start of each new day. But, maybe just like me, you would welcome Him in general by, say, asking for His anointing to live another victorious day ahead.

While attending the Saturday service at City Harvest Church on 1 November 2014, I was enlightened by Pastor Kong Hee on four specific areas in which we could welcome the Holy Spirit.

As adapted from Pastor Kong's sermon, we can specifically:

1. Welcome the Holy Spirit into our Thoughts

The entrance of God's Word is a light which gives us hope or vision for the future. To teach us the Word of God, we have the Holy Spirit who will illuminate our thoughts so that we could understand the things of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of revelation who reveals the secrets or mystery of spiritual truths. It is God's will for the saints to know His truth, but we need the Holy Spirit to make the truth plain to us. "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27; NKJV)

The Holy Spirit has the power (ability) to impart spiritual wisdom to us. This was Apostle Paul's prayer for the saints in Ephesus, "... that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,.." (Eph. 1;17-20; NKJV)

As we synchronize our thoughts with the written Word of God (logos) in the realm of the Spirit (the 4th Dimension), our 3-Dimensional world will be shaped and influenced so much so that we can flourish like a tree planted by rivers of water, fruitful, evergreen and prospering in life. (Ps. 1:2-3)

2. Welcome the Holy Spirit into our Visions and Dreams

We may have buried visions, borrowed visions or original visions. If we do not have a clear vision and/or dream yet, we can keep praying until it is done in the 4th dimension (i.e., the realm of the Holy Spirit). 

The Holy Spirit will not fail us; He incubates our visions and dreams. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams." (Acts 2:17; NKJV)

3. Welcome the Holy Spirit into our Believing

In Mark 9:17 ~ 21, a man brought his son who has a mute spirit before Jesus Christ for healing and made this remark: "But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

"Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” " (v.23)

"Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”" (v.24)

We need the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us to have right believing in the Word of God; He will deposit the spirit of faith into our inner man.

4. Welcome the Holy Spirit into our Words

Let the Holy Spirit teach us to speak words of blessing to ourselves. For example, we could say: 

"I am healthy, wealthy, wise, decisive, consistent, strong and full of the fruit of the Holy Spirit." 

"I am blessed and highly favoured." 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 

"I am the head and not the tail, above only and not below, blessed in my coming in and going out." 

"No weapon formed against me shall prosper."

Even when I was attending my first few services in City Harvest Church at Jurong West around 2005 or so, I recall Pastor Kong declaring that we (the saints and joint heirs with Christ) are "the head and not the tail". 

For sure, I had heard this before. But, when he spoke those words, they permeated into my spirit man. Yes, it does make a big difference who speaks the logos. When spoken by a man or woman who knows God and walks with His Spirit closely, there is power in what they speak based on the Word of God.  

Takeaway

My spiritual takeaway from this message is that there could be areas of our lives such as family relationships, studies, work, ministry or business which may appear like in the beginning when the heavens and the earth were without form, and void. (Genesis 1:1,2)

However, as we allow the Holy Spirit to hover over our thoughts, visions, dreams, beliefs and spoken words, we will be so in tune with God's Word (His mind) that we will begin the speak forth His Word for the Holy Spirit to empower and create a brand new beginning in these areas which have been hopelessly challenging up till now.

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." (1 Cor. 2:12; NKJV)

P.S. If you interested, please click here to check out resources by Pastor Kong Hee.

TRANSFORMED BY WORSHIP by Kong Hee

(Source: City Harvest Church news bulletin, October 11 - 12, 2014)

The Tabernacle in the Old Testament is a pattern of what is in heaven and it outlines how the believer can enter into the Presence of the LORD in today’s context.

Within the Tabernacle resided the Altar of Incense, a picture of worship and prayer. It is positioned in front of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.

Each time the priest entered into the Holy Place, he was commanded of the LORD to take a handful of incense and sprinkle it onto the burning coals of the altar. As the incense burned day and night, the perfumed smoke passed through the veil and into the Holy of Holies, as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

The fragrance, mixed with the presence of God, would fill the Holy Place, saturating the clothing, hair and even the skin of the priest himself. The fragrance of God’s presence would then be carried by the priest to others in the Outer Court.

Today, as believers in the New Covenant, when we enter into the presence of God and offer Him our worship, our love and our adoration; we must come away with our spirit, soul and body so permeated with the fragrance of God that we will be “…to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing …the aroma of life leading to life…” just like how it’s described in 2 Cor. 2:15-16.

WORSHIP ALWAYS TRANSFORMS US

The goal of worship is to be transformed into the image of the One who is worshiped. In Luke 9 is a beautiful account of how Peter, John and James went up to the mountain to pray with Jesus. As Jesus spent time with His heavenly Father, His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white and glistening (Luke 9:28-31; Matt. 17:2). Jesus was transfigured by the presence of God.

In the original Greek, the word transfigured is the same word as “metamorphosis”, which means to change from one form to another. It is the same word used to describe the transformation of a caterpillar in a cocoon into a butterfly. So during His time of worship unto God, Jesus was metamorphosed from a human being into a glorious spiritual being.

The same word is used in another verse …”But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

This verse tells us that what happened to Jesus – when He was worshiping His Father – can also happen to us. For that to happen, based on 2 Cor. 3:18, we must know four things:

1. We must worship God with the REAL “US”

To worship with an “unveiled face” is to come before God without any masks – open honesty. Real change and transformation of our lives cannot take place without us being truly honest and open in the presence of the LORD.

2. We must look into the GLORY OF THE LORD

Introspection alone is not going to bring about the transformation we need in our lives. To that effect, even spiritual activities such as prayer, reading the Bible or Christian books would not change us either. It is only when we see the glory of God in Jesus Christ, then only will true transformation take place.

So, during prayer, when we see Jesus, we will be changed; as we read His Word, when we see Jesus, we will be changed.

3. We must expect the Holy Spirit to work in us

When we are looking at His face, the Holy Spirit is doing a deep inner work within us. In the Old Testament, during the plague in the desert, when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on a pole, his message to the people was “Look and live”. Today, Jesus has already been lifted up on the Cross as our Savior to give us eternal life. So Paul’s message to us here is, “Look and be changed”.

4. We must allow the change to be PROGRESSIVE

Whatever glory we can see in God becomes the new platform to greater levels of glory to be revealed to us. As we spend time in worship looking at God’s nature, we will be adjusted to that nature – we become more loving, more forgiving, more faithful, more patient – from glory to glory!

The transformation is not instantaneous and there are no shortcuts; but as long as we hang in there with Christ, we will never fail. We are changed from “faith to faith” (2 Cor. 10:15) … “from strength to strength” (Ps. 138:3) … “from grace to grace” (1 John 1:16).

By the by, as we worship God, the Bible says that we will be changed “until Christ is formed in us” (Gal. 4:19).




Preaching the gospel of Christ in a way that’s both progressive and heartfelt, Dr. Kong Hee is a highly sought-after conference speaker worldwide, and his messages minister to millions of people around the world who are inspired to become true ambassadors for Christ wherever God has placed them. Kong is also the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church – a thriving, contemporary congregation in the heart of Singapore. His international TV program, Alive! With Kong, encourages millions around the world each week. For more information on Kong’s ministry and materials, please visit konghee.com. 

http://edition.konghee.com/

Walk On by Kong Hee

(Source: City Harvest Church news bulletin, September 27 - 28, 2014)

The Christian experience is often known in the New Testament as a “walk”. After we are saved and birthed into the kingdom of God, God expects us not to remain where we are, but to take action and walk progressively into the vision and destiny He has called us.

When Solomon was a teenager, his father David instructed him to walk in the ways of the Lord God … that he may prosper and have success (1 Kings 2:3). Later on, the Lord God Himself told Solomon that if he would walk in His ways as his father David did, God would lengthen Solomon’s days (1 Kings 3:14). When the time came for Solomon to construct the temple, the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying that if he would walk in His statutes, execute His judgment, keep all His commandments and walk in them … the Lord will dwell among the Israelites and will not forsake them (1 Kings 6:11-13).

From Solomon’s life, we can learn that a successful life is not just found in our position (as kings and priests unto God), but in our disposition, which is our walk. 

In the Old Testament, a priest had to walk out of his tent, enter the Outer Court, then into the Holy Place, and finally into the Holy of Holies, where the very Presence of God dwelled. Similarly, the New Testament gives us four instructions concerning our Christian walk, guiding us into the Presence and Power of God.


1. Walk In The Spirit, Not In The Flesh

Galatians 5:19-21 describes the flesh as sinful physical desires, wrong beliefs, negative emotions and carnal excesses. How can we as believers keep ourselves from walking in the flesh? A few verses earlier give us the answer …

Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

The Holy Spirit does not control us. He simply stands alongside us while we do the navigating through life. He leads us and guides us by bearing witness in our spirit.


2. Walk In Faith, Not In Fear

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. In fact, we still need faith even when we get to heaven. How do we obtain faith? By hearing the Word of God; if the Word of God says it, that settles it!

The opposite of faith is unbelief, which brings about fear. Interestingly, in the Bible, the number of times it is recorded that God says, “Fear not!” is 365 times! That means, we must have faith and be unafraid every single day – by standing on the promises of God’s Word.

3. Walk In Love, Not In Lust

Faith and love go hand in hand; you cannot have one without the other. Galatians 5:6 says that faith can only work through love. That is to say that love keeps our faith working in the right direction, for the right purpose. 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out all fear. One touch of God’s love and all our fear, anger and bitterness melt away. Friends, walk in love, because our God is love (1 John 4:*).

4. Walk In Light, Not In Darkness

As God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), so must we endeavor to abandon every dark thought and every practice of darkness – especially when it comes to our relationship with others.

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

In the Bible, we read of men who have walked with God.

Revelation 3:4 “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.”

Abraham walked with God in the path of faith.

Moses walked with God in the path of obedience.

David walked with God in the path of worship.

Elijah walked with God in the path of prayer.


Just like these heroes of faith, let us also continually walk on with Jesus as we serve faithfully in the different ministries in church; as we serve in our workplace and our schools; and as served in our home and our community. Church, let’s walk on with God in Spirit, faith, love and light!



Preaching the gospel of Christ in a way that’s both progressive and heartfelt, Dr. Kong Hee is a highly sought-after conference speaker worldwide, and his messages minister to millions of people around the world who are inspired to become true ambassadors for Christ wherever God has placed them. Kong is also the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church – a thriving, contemporary congregation in the heart of Singapore. His international TV program, Alive! With Kong, encourages millions around the world each week. For more information on Kong’s ministry and materials, please visit konghee.com.

"Trust in the LORD" by Kong Hee

(Source: Devotionals of November 2005 by Rev Dr Kong Hee)

" “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,And whose hope is the Lord." Jeremiah 17:7 (NKJV)

The key to success and victory in life is not in ourselves but in God. David was a shepherd boy, unskilled in the weapon of war, but he defeated Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, with a single sling shot. He was not of royal lineage, but he went on to become the greatest king Israel ever had. What was the secret of his greatness? It was his dependence and his trust in God. David cried, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water" (Psalms 63:1; NKJV)

John Knox, the famous Scottish revivalist, was famous for his power in prayer. Queen Mary said she feared his prayers more than Europe's armies. When the Spanish armada fought the English in 1588, Queen Elizabeth I of England called the nation to prayer. As a result, a storm arose and destroyed 65 of the Armada's 130 ships while the English lost none.

It is evident that as long as men seek God, as long as we pray, our lives will be successful and victorious. We will be able to achieve our aims and remain protected. In the course of King Asa's reign over Judah (1 Kings 15:9-24), he changed both its history and future. Under his rule, he courageously deposed of his infamous idolatress grandmother, who had severely influenced Judah toward idolatry. He also drove out the Sodomites and then destroyed all the idols that his father had worshiped. Not only did this great leader himself seek after God, he commanded the entire nation to do likewise.

The prophet, Azariah said this of King Asa, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you" (2 Chronicles 15:2). As we look back in history, we see that the Word of God is true: Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength (Jeremiah 17:5, 7). God is no respecter of persons. His word works for all who would believe and act upon it.

More Than a Conqueror by Rev Dr Kong Hee

I like this YouTube message on being More Than a Conqueror by Rev Dr Kong Hee. Please click here to watch. The message starts around 5:30. Hear the Word of God and be blessed.

It is Finished!

This article “It is Finished” is adapted from Dr. Yonggi Cho’s sermon at City Harvest Church’s Dedication Service on 9 July 2013 upon its move home to the renewed and upgraded Suntec Singapore, and Pastor Kong Hee’s sermon on 13 July 2013.

There are two occasions in the Holy Bible where God’s work is finished. The first is when “the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” and God “rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done”. (Genesis 2:1~2; NKJV) The second event took place when Jesus died for us on the cross at Calvary and declared, “It is finished!” (John 19:28,30; NKJV)

Interestingly, man and woman were created on the sixth day and on the very next day God rested from all His work. There was no more work to be done and we entered His rest, as it were, before the curse of sin (disobedience) fell on us.

Though we fell from glory, God did not give up on us. Then, Jesus obeyed the Father and completed the work of redemption, and we the redeemed of the LORD can now say, “Salvation is finished work!”; “Sickness, you are finished because of Jesus Christ.”; “Sin, temptation and poverty, you are finished by Jesus Christ”; and “I’m a blessed person of Jesus Christ.”

Dr. Cho’s urged us, believers, to pray and find our rest in God; the work belongs to God. God wants to take over our sin, failure, work and other problems. He (Jesus) is ready to meet the needs of people who are sick, cursed, unhappy and dying. Also, Dr. Cho shared on how good and pleasant it is to meditate on and experience the truth and reality of life in the realm of God’s kingdom with particular focus on the following nuggets:

a)    Forgiveness of sins;

b)    Healing from sickness and diseases;

c)    Sanctification by the Holy Spirit;

d)    The covenant blessing of Abraham; and

e)    Eternal kingdom of God.

Take some time to just pause and reflect deeply on the aforementioned blessings of life in the Presence of God. Such an exercise will truly help us to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ rather than our despair or discouragement.

Pastor Kong’s exaltation is for us to pray, worship and find our rest in God. He touched on Matthew 6 which has two major themes: (I) Don’t worry; and (II) Jesus’ teaching us how to pray.

Reference was also made to Revelation 5:8~10, which offer a glimpse of a believer’s life of victory in Christ Jesus, with the playing of a harp representing praise/worship and golden bowls full of incense being the prayers of the saints. “And they sang a new song, saying:“You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” (NKJV)

Fret not, Jesus is our King who is wearing the Victor’s Crown. God has given us four things to go beyond our three-dimensional realm:

1.            THINKING

-      Change your thinking life; feed our mind with God’s Word.

-      As a man thinks, so is he.

2.            VISIONS AND DREAMS

-      Visions and dreams are the preferred language of the Holy Spirit.

-      See yourself healthy, wealthy, strong and wise in Christ Jesus.

-      If your dream is from God, He will back it up.

3.            BELIEVING

-      You must believe with the faith you have.

-      “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”” (Mark 9:23;NKJV)

-      Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40; NKJV)

4.            SPEAKING

-      This is what Dr. Cho often speak of as “mouth confession”.

-      What you speak, you are going to have it.

-      There is power in your confession; your confession will change your life.

-      After suffering from a stroke at 88 years old, Dr. Stanley E. Jones (regarded as the Billy Graham of India), got the nurses to confess God’s Word over him in Jesus’ name. He was healed and went on to preach again for several more years. Hallelujah!

Dear believers, we live unto God and wanna let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify Him. We may do all we can with the help and anointing of the Holy Spirit as vessels and vehicles (hands and feet) of God and keep learning to do things with Him and in His ways.

But, ultimately, it is the LORD’s work and there are things that are simply beyond us to lift a finger. For example, healing the blind, and setting captives free from strongholds. Let God do all the heavy lifting.

However, we can come under Jesus’ anointing of ease and learnt of Him. We can get our thinking right by receiving the rhema of God’s Word (remember, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God); receive anointed visions and dreams through communion with the Holy Spirit in praise/worship and prayers; exercise our mustard seed-size faith and keep listening to God’s Word (for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God); order our conversation aright by confessing God’s Word as the Sword of the Holy Spirit.

To put a smile on your face, there is a work that God is still about. YOU! He is not done with you yet as His new creation in Christ Jesus. Hear then the Word of God by the hands of Paul the apostle, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”. (Philippians 1:6; NKJV)

Meanwhile, let’s keep fighting the good fight of faith and apply the aforesaid four spiritual disciplines as disciples and friends of Jesus Christ. We are the blessed of the LORD, indeed!

__________________________________________________________________

For your spiritual edification, you may wish to check out some resources by Dr. Cho and Pastor Kong Hee by clicking on The Ink Room.

Faith Revolution II

One my favourite Bible verse is John 10:10 (NKJV) where Jesus said, " The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

For the longest time I have wandered how the abundant life could materialise for an ordinary believer like me. One of the hindrance would, of course, be a lack of knowledge. Make no doubt about it that our enemy, the devil -- the Father of lies, would rejoice to see us live a hapless Christian life as he casts doubts and seeks to deceive us from believing God's word. And, horror of horrors, so many Christians have unwittingly play the devil's advocate by condemning ourselves and choosing to be imprisoned by him rather than be liberated by the truths of God's promises. What were we thinking? Do we yet not get it that GOD IS GOOD and the devil is as bad as can be? Hosea 4:6 speaks of God's people being destroyed for a lack of knowledge and John 10:10a speaks clearly of the thief's intentions to steal, kill, and destroy.

It's time for Christians to know God's words -- the sword of the Spirit, and put them into practice by faith. The more we practice, the more we prove our faith and become a skillful warrior. It's time for us to get violent in our spirit and wage a good fight of faith, believing and contending for things which are aligned with God's word and will for us.

Jesus has said, "It is the Spirit Who gives life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life." John 6:63 (Amp.) We can have the God-filled life when we have His words in our heart. His words are like seeds which are sown first into our minds. If we mix God's words with faith, the seeds would reach the good soil of our heart and spring forth a harvest as they are packed with God's Spirit and Life -- causing us to be a fruit-bearing vine.

Truth be told, we are, for example, heir with Christ and master of all. Yet, when we are still young in faith and feeding on milk rather than solid food, we are no different from a slave in our Master's house! Check this out: "Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, " Galatians 4:1 (NKJV)

A corollary verse to John 10:10b would be Romans 5:17 and this is becoming a hot favourite verse for me. Pastor John Bevere has stated in one of his book (it's either 'Relentless' or Extraordinary') that this is one verse that the believers ought to know besides John 3:16.

"For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

As we read Romans 5, the challenge for us would be whether we will choose the victorious life God has wrought for us through Jesus Christ (the second Adam) and be a champion in life or would we live in defeat by remaining under the power of sin which came through the first Adam.

Believe it: We are the righteousness of God in Christ^. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) Righteousness, as with grace, is a gift from God through faith in Christ.

As we seek God's kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), we will certainly be able to come to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) and ask for all that we need and live life with flourish as joint heirs with Christ. We are one with Christ. When God the Father sees us, He sees the righteousness of Christ Jesus and the power of Holy Spirit working through us.

It's about time for us believers to increase our understanding of how God sees us and know more than ever before of who we are in Christ Jesus by faith! And, press in to God and do the greater things that Jesus spoke of in John 14:12-14.

Be blessed now as you listen to Pastor Ulf Ekman preaching on the Foundations of Effective Prayer (starts at 4 minutes 20 seconds after the introduction and worship song).



Bibliography:-
^ Sermon on "Righteouness In Christ" by my senior pastor, Kong Hee, at City Harvest Church on 17 November 2012. (Get hold of the CD and be edified tremendously!)

Would you cause Jesus to marvel?

This is like freshly baked bread, hot off the spiritual oven of heaven in that I hadn't put the 2 events together of when people had actually caused Jesus to marvel. It's like having butter on toast and now its butter-and-kaya on toast.

It was my Senior Pastor, Kong Hee, City Harvest Church, who touched on these 2 occasions in his sermon on 3 November 2012. One would have thought that Jesus had seen it all and nothing would surprise Him.

In the first account from Mark 6:1-6 (NKJV), familiarity bred contempt for Jesus and He marveled at the unbelief of the people at Nazareth who rejected Him:-

"Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching."

The second account is from Matthew 8:5-13 (NKJV), where Jesus saw the incredible faith of a centurion at Capernaum:-

"Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour."

Unbelief could stem from ignorance due to a lack of head knowledge and/or heart knowledge (i.e., revelation). But, even if we know, we may still find it difficult to believe or act in disobedience to God's word. On a wiser note, we can choose to believe that God's word, i.e., the sword of the Spirit,  in our mouth is as powerful as God's word in His mouth. 

The bottom line is: Will we cause Jesus to marvel at our faith or our unbelief? Let's not be proud and think that we are smarter than God. Do we not know that disobedience is actually camouflaged pride? God has said it; that settles it. Let God, let go and let's go!

Destined to Bear Fruit

^"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)

Let's first be reminded of God's call for us to be fruitful and multiply. If possible, we shall touch on the reigning and ruling-in-life part on another occasion.

In the following excerpt from Pastor Ulf Ekman's book, "Born to Win" (Chapter 1 on Destined to Bear Fruit), we are reminded of God's will for us to bear fruit:-

"The word "destined" appears more often  in the Bible than the word "revival". The Bible says that we are destined to do good works, which means that we are destined to bear fruit. If you accept this perspective, God's perspective, you will become strong in your inner being. You will become resolute, dedicated and eager. You will not only dream and long, but your dreams and longings will activate you, through the Holy Spirit. to truly bear fruit.

Jesus will look at the fruit. He says that He knows the tree by the fruit -- not by the leaves, the lushness, the commercials, the newsletter, the buildings or the fantastic things that surround it. The tree will be judged by its fruit. This could be the most important thing for you to understand. Fruit glorifies God. Fruit makes you grow and it is what you will be judged by. Everything is about fruit. We cannot fool God. God enjoys you praising Him from the heart. If you stand there yawning and only pretend to worship, He sees that. But His primary interest is not in your worship. He looks to see if you are doing your heavenly Father's will. You will not enter heaven simply saying, "Lord, Lord" but by doing your heavenly Father's will. Obviously you must know what His will is. His will is that you bear fruit."

"What is God's will for me?" is one of the foremost question that Christians ask. And, we have just found the answer in Genesis 1:28. There is more. Consider also Ephesians 2: 10 (Amp.), "For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]."

As my Senior Pastor, Kong Hee, wrote on the church being the expression of Christ in society in his inflection, Called to Connect, for City Harvest Church's bulletin of Nov 3-4, 2012:-

 "Though you may not be of the world, you have been called by God into the world, to be an influence on His behalf. God created this world and He created you with special talents, interests and desires so that you might be obedient to live this life for His glory. Step beyond the four walls of the church and engage culture with your unique talents. In all things, strive to be a relevant, creative and authentic person who boldly lives for the gospel of Christ. Then, through you, the world will experience the love of God in greater measure!"

Be inspired as you listen to this song composed by Teo Poh Heng, a worship leader at City Harvest Church, as performed by the hands of 'braindot':-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDYoOnyj6wg&feature=related

Truly, as Jesus has said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16 (NJKV)